IB 195 
C8 
!opy 1 



CONCRETE FOR PERMANENCE 



Concrete Stave Silos 



BROOKS PATENT 



JOHN S.COPLY, Agent 

MODESTO CALIFORNIA 



GUARANTEE 

The Brooks Patent Concrete Stave 
Silos, put up by us, are guaran- 
teed to be of good material and 
workmanship, and will keep the 
silage in the best of condition 
when the silo is properly filled. 



WARNING 

The "Brooks Concrete Stave Silo" construction is fully protected by United States 

Patent No. 1,122,250, dated December 29th, 1914, and also our Patent C. S. Door 

Hanger, which is protected by United States Patent. Any and all infringers or users 

not properly authorized, will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. 

Copyrighted 1917 
JOHN S. COPLY 



Concrete Stave Silos 

BROOKS PATENT 



AIRTIGHT, FIREPROOF, RATPROOF 

WATERPROOF, WINDPROOF 

PERMANENT 



JOHN S. COPLY, Agent 

MODESTO CALIFORNIA 



53 \e[S 
.69 



In the compilation of this book grate- 
ful acknowledgment is made to the 
Portland Cement Association, Univer- 
sity of California Agricultural College 
and The Minneapolis Concrete Stave 
Silo Company. 






©CI.A476104 

SEP 18 191*/ 



BROOKS PATENT CONCRETE STAVE SILO 1 

What the Silo Will Do 

It takes a good farmer to make two blades of grass grow where one 
grew before, h takes a better farmer to grow two bushels of corn 
where formerly one bushel was grown. The fanner who can make $2 
this year where he made $] last year is a good business man. Am 
farmer can do what amounts to these very things with only a small 
additional investment and without extra labor, lie can build a silo and 
save all of his crop and make valuable food of it for practically every 
farm animal. The preservation of corn and other cover crops in the form 
of silage is an ancient practice. Silage was first stored in underground 
pits, where much of the contents spoiled. It is interesting to note that 
the silo originated in France and was introduced into the United States 
in the latter part of the eighties. Experiments everywhere prove be 
yond doubt that the silo is an immense success. 

Just consider that in converting corn into silage it is easy to almost 
double the feeding value per acre of the crop. Corn is mentioned he- 
cause, generally speaking, it is one of the best field crops for siloing. 

Perhaps the biggest argument for a silo in connection with scientific 
feeding is that the silage taken from it, fed in conjunction with alfalfa 
hay or other legume crops, such as clover, peas, etc., makes nearly a 
perfect balanced ration. Silage is a juicy, appetizing feed, uniform in 
quality at all seasons, relished by farm animals, and has a combined 
tonic and laxative effect upon the digestive organs. 

Tn these days of high land values and increasing cost of all farming 
operations, it is important that the farmer obtain from his crops the 
greatest possible feeding value per acre. He must grow forage crops 
that contain the highest proportion of materials which actually go to 
make bone, flesh and fat. 

About 40 per cent of the entire feeding value of corn is in the stalks 
and leaves. As the corn crop is harvested on many farms, this portion 
of its value is lost. Is it good business to go to the expense of producing 
this crop, robbing the land of its valuable elements, and then losing this 
40 per cent of food value by letting the stalks and leaves go to waste? 

No other farm building holds as much feed for the same cost of 
construction. Perhaps no other building contains food the value of 
which is as great. The average silo in use contains food valued at from 
four to five hundred dollars and for this reason it is important that a 
silo should be made of permanent material in order that the food mav be 
saved in case the barn should be destroyed by fire. Many a valuable 
herd has been sold at a sacrifice owing to the fact that a fire consumed 
all the feed. If the silo is of permanent construction, it will not he 
destroyed. In case of tire a temporary building for the herd can be 
constructed quickly and the silage used for feeding; thereby saving in 
many cases valuable animals which would otherwise have to he sold if it 
were necessary to purchase \^vi\ on the market. 



BROOKS PATENT CONCRETE STAVE SILO 



The Theory of Silage 



Silage, or ensilage, as it is also known, is a finely chopped fodder 
which is preserved in its green condition by being stored in a tank-like 
structure called a silo. 

The process of making and keeping silage is similar to that used in 
preserving fruits and vegetables. The silage crop is harvested at the 
proper stage of maturity, and cut into lengths of one-half to one inch 
by a power-driven cutter. It is then elevated or blown into the silo, 
where it is well compacted by tramping, thus forcing out the air between 
the particles. 

The making of silage consists largely in a series of fermentation proc- 
esses. Bacteria pass into the silo with the green fodder and after a 
short time begin to multiply there, favored by the presence of air and 
moisture and an abundance of feed material in the fodder, especially 
soluble carbohydrates. The bacteria feed upon these substances and 
break them up into acids, like lactic and acetic acid, and simple gaseous 
components, mainly carbon dioxide and water vapor. Considerable heat 
is evolved in this process. Most of the bacteria found in silage can not 
live in the absence of oxygen, and the amount of air available deter- 
mines, therefore, how far the decomposition processes will run and the 
resultant losses of nutritive materials. When the supply of oxygen in 
the air spaces in the siloed mass is exhausted, the bacteria die and the 
fermentation processes cease, unless more air is admitted; hence it is 
important that the silo be air-tight and no air be admitted through the 
silo wall, or at the bottom. 

The making of silage depends also to a considerable extent on the 
growth of enzymes in the green tissues and on the respiration of the 
plant cells, which continues as long as these are alive. The relative 
importance of the various processes concerned in the making of silage 
has not yet been fully established ; it is known definitely, however, that 
reducing the air supply in the silo to a minimum is an all-important 
factor in successful silage making, and this is accomplished by solid 
packing of green fodder and by preventing" the entrance of air from 
without. 

The air can not be completely excluded from the silo; there will 
always be sufficient left in the air spaces of the siloed mass to supply the 
oxygen necessary for the run of the changes involved in the process of 
silage making. Unless the amount is reduced to a minimum by careful 
packing and by providing an absolutely air-tight silo the losses of valu- 
able feed components will be abnormally large, although a good quality 
of silage may still be secured. 

The silo wall must be water-tight so as not to allow moisture from 
the green fodder to escape, as the silage would otherwise dry out, and 
molds and yeasts would be able to grow therein and cause the silage to 
spoil. 

A thin layer of silage at the top will spoil, and, by so doing, forms 
a seal which excludes air and keeps the remainder of the silage in per- 



BROOKS PA TEXT CONCRETE STAVE SILO 3 

feet condition even for several years. Often this seal is made of green 
stalks from which the grain has heen removed or of a thoroughly wetted 
and compacted covering - of chaff or straw upon which oats are sown 
and allowed to sprout. Such a covering of sod acts as a wet, air-tight 
blanket and takes the place of a seal-layer of the more valuable silage. 

Crops Available for Silage 

With due care silage can be made from almost any green crop. On 
account of the excess of air in their hollow stems and the difficulty of 
removing the same in packing, such plants as oats, rye, barley, clover, 
alfalfa, and cow-peas must be thoroughly tramped. In fact, with silage 
of any kind, every three- or four-inch layer should be well tramped, 
especially next to the wall. By thus driving out the air. there is re- 
moved the cause of slimy and moldy silage so often mistakenly attrib- 
uted to the material of which the silo wall is constructed. 

When the silage crop is too ripe and dry to pack well, sufficient 
water is added either in the cutter or the silo to take the place of the 
dried-up plant juices. In the same way a fair silage can be made from 
dry fodder. 

Discussion of Silage Crops 



Indiaii corn thus far is grown for forage 
purposes to only a limited extent in the Pacific 
Coast States, partly because other forage crops 
do better in different sections of this territory. 
Indian corn is, however, pre-eminently the 
great American silage crop and is, generally 
speaking, better adapted for siloing processes 
than any other field crop. The reasons for this 
are easily seen. The thick stems and broad 
leaves of the corn plant pack well in the silo 
when cut ; corn is rich in starch and other non- 
saccharine carbohydrates which insure silage 
of a moderate acidity, and it is relatively low 
in protein substances, so that the clanger of 
undesirable fermentations in the silo is re- 
moved. 

Corn is planted thicker when grown for 
silage than for grain and a larger proportion 
of nutrients are, as a result, obtained in the 
stalks in the former case. The closeness of 
planting varies somewhat in different sec- 
tions, according to soil and climate. The com- 
mon practice in growing corn for grain is to 
plant in hills three and one-half feet apart 




C. L. Builer, Modesto. Calif., built this 12x40 
Brooks Stave Silo. 



4 



BROOKS PATENT CONCRETE STAVE SILO 



both ways; when intended for silage it is generally planted in drills 
three and one-half feet apart, with stalks eight to ten inches apart in 
the row. This will secure a fair proportion of ears and a maximum 
yield of feed materials in the crop taken off the land. 

Experiments conducted with regard to the effect of different meth- 
ods of planting corn have shown that the yields obtained are not mate- 
rially influenced by the distribution of the seed so long as the amount 
of seed per acre remains the same. The question of planting corn in 
hills or drills may, therefore, be decided wholly on the score of con- 
venience of cultivating and harvesting the crop. 

In growing corn for the silo a variety should be selected that will 
mature in the particular locality given and that will yield a maximum 
amount of dry matter to the acre. Dent varieties, like Reid's Yellow 
Dent, Learning, Minn. 113, or U. S. 160, will produce large yields of 
both grain and forage under our conditions. As the quality of silage 
made from well-matured corn is better than that from rather immature 
corn, the best practice is to allow the grain to nearly ripen before the 
corn is cut for the silo. This is advantageous also because of the rapid 
increase in the yield of feed materials in the corn plant during the last 

stages of the growing period when the 
kernels begin to harden. If the grain 
is fully matured by the time the silo can 
be filled, a quantity of water added to 
the blower as the corn goes into the silo, 
or to the mixture in the silo, will secure 
a good quality of silage. 

The amount of silage that can be ob- 
tained from an acre of corn will vary 
with the fertility of the land, the season, 
and the care used in growing the crop, 
from fifteen tons, or below, to thirty tons 
in exceptional cases. A fifty-bushel crop 
will yield eight to twelve tons of silage 
per acre, depending on the amount of 
foliage and stalks that accompany the 
ears. The general practice adopted by 
farmers in the corn belt is to silo the corn 
"ears and all" ; the entire crop is run 
through a cutter and filled into the silo, 
where it is evenly mixed and tramped 
down carefully, especially along the silo 
wall. Carefully conducted experiments 
have shown that this method of handling 
the crop is more economical and con- 
venient than to husk and grind the corn 
separately and feed it with silage made 
from the corn fodder or stover. One 
acre of corn silage made from the whole 
corn plant, including the ears, has been 

.4 11 x 30 Brooks Slave Silo Owned by M. L. Appleton, . , , ... , .. , 

Modesto, calif. found to have a similar feeding value a* 





BROOKS COXCRETE ST A VE SILO 5 

one and one-quarter acres of silage made from 
corn fodder fed with the corresponding amount 
of ground corn. 

Sweet sorghum has been highly recom- 
mended as a silage crop under western condi- 
tions on account of its being" more drought re- 
sistant than Indian corn. It will give better 
yields than the latter crop in regions where the 
rainfall is too low or too irregular for growing 
a good crop of corn. The sorghums are less 
liable to damage by insects than corn and re- 
main green far into the fall so that they may 
be siloed considerably later than this crop. 
Yields of green sorghum of twenty tons may 
be secured on fertile land, or one-half again as 
much as an average crop of corn. In making 
silage from sorghum it is important that it be 
harvested late, when the seed has become hard, 
as it will make a very acid silage if cut at an 
earlier stage of growth. Cut at the time stated, 
it will make a good quality of silage of nearly 
similar feeding value and palatability as Indian corn silage. The two most 
important varieties adapted to forage and silage arc Early Amher and 
( 'range. 

The grain sorghums, or non-saccharine sorghums (kafir, milo, Egyp- 
tian corn, feterita, etc.), are used for silage to a limited extent in this 
and other western States. They make a good 
milage if cut when the seed is ripe, and it is 
relished nearly as well by cattle as Indian corn 
silage. It is eaten in somewhat smaller 
amounts than this, e. g., for dairy cows twenty 
to twenty-five pounds per head daily is an aver- 
age feed. In Kansas it was found that kafir 
silage ranked second to corn silage as a feed 
for dairy cows and that it is better than sorg- 
hum silage for the production of milk. In dry, 
hot sections, where the grain sorghums give 
relatively large yields and where Indian corn 
can not be successfully grown, these crops will 
doubtless assume great importance in the 
future as silage crops on dairy and other stock 
farms. In trials at the University Farm at 
Davis, Cal.. the largest yields have so far been 
obtained from dwarf milo, feterita, and brown 
durra (Egyptian corn), in the order given. 

Alfalfa is used only to a limited extent as a 
silage crop. There is ordinarily no difficulty 
in making it into good hay under the condi- 
tions present in the western States where this 



G. A. Allen, Modesto, Calif., Owns This 
JO x 30 Brooks Slave Silo. 




BROOKS PATENT CONCRETE STAVE SILO 



crop grows to best advantage and is of the greatest economic impor- 
tance. It is, however, made into silage by many farmers, especially in 
case of the first and last cuttings. Since foxtail (Hordewm murinum ) 
is often a serious pest in alfalfa fields during the early part of the sea- 
son, the first crop is siloed by some farmers, and the foxtail thus ren- 
dered harmless ; the beards remain soft in the silage and do not cause 
trouble to the animals eating it, as is generally the case when this crop 
is made into hay, especially if cut rather late when the foxtail heads are 
nearly ripe. Silage from such weedy alfalfa will be of good quality if 
put up in accordance with the directions given and is often better than 
that from pure alfalfa. The last crop of alfalfa is also sometimes siloed 
in the western States, owing to the rainy weather that is likely to 
prevail at this time, rendering it difficult to make hay from this crop. 
If run through a cutter and siloed as soon as possible after mowing, 
before it has wilted much, and carefully tramped down in the silo, it 
will make a good aromatic silage, well relished by dairy cows, steers, 
sheep and other farm animals, after they have become accustomed to it. 
Like all silage made from leguminous crops, it has a strong and less 
agreeable flavor than corn silage, owing to the butyric acid formed 
therein, but stock soon learn to like it. It has not been shown, however, 
that alfalfa silage has a higher feeding value than corn silage, ton for 
ton, although it is considerably richer in protein and generally contains 
more dry matter per ton than the latter silage. 

Clover and other legumes are not often used as silage crops for the 
reasons stated above, and when so used it is generally under similar con- 
ditions as those just given for alfalfa, when they 
can not very well be cured into hay. As the 
legumes have a large proportion of leaves and 
tender stems, they dry out rapidly and must be 
run through a cutter and siloed as soon as pos- 
sible after being mowed. Clover, like alfalfa, is 
cut for the silo when about one-third of the 
plants are in full bloom, or before the first 
single heads are beginning to wilt. According 
to trials conducted at several experiment sta- 
tions, the largest yields of dry matter and of all 
feed components, except fiber, are obtained from 
clover when it is cut at this stage. If the cut- 
ting has been delayed beyond this stage, the 
safer plan is to add water to the clover, either 
as it is elevated into the silo, or in the silo itself 
after each load or half-day run. 

The losses of feed materials in the siloing 
processes in the case of clover, alfalfa, etc., are 
but slightly larger than for corn, so far as can 
be judged from the limited data at hand re- 
garding this point. When put up in the manner 
stated in an air-tight silo, the necessarv loss of 



A 12 x 30 Brooks Slave Silo on Farm of 0. 
G. Thomas, Manteco, Calif. 




BROOKS PA TEXT COX CRETE STAVE SILO 



dry matter in these crops will not be likely to exceed 10 per cent. This 
is a much lower loss than that sustained in making hay from alfalfa 
(and probably from clover and other leafy legumes as well), on ac- 
count of the unavoidable and often considerable abrasfon of leaves 
and tender parts in the process of hay-making. This loss has been esti- 
mated at 15 to 20 per cent of the hay crop, as a minimum, and as high 
as 60 per cent in the extreme cases. Aside from the losses sustained 
through abrasion, rain storms may reduce the value of the hay by one- 
half. The losses froim either of these sources are avoided in preserving 
the crop in the silo, and in their place a small loss of about 10 per cent 
or less will occur under ordinary favorable conditions, through fermen- 
tations and respiration of the plant cells. 

The reason why legumes are not siloed more generally must be 
sought in the fact that it is more difficult to secure a good quality of 
silage from these crops than from Indian corn, unless the necessary 
conditions for success in making legume silage are clearly understood ; 
furthermore, the flavor of the silage is not, as a rule, as agreeable as 
that of corn silage, and farm animals do not relish it quite as much 
at first. When once accustomed to legume silage, however, they do 
well on it ; dairy cows will eat twenty to thirty pounds of clover or 
alfalfa silage per head daily. On account of the 
larger amount of protein furnished in this feed 
than in the corn silage, less or cheaper concen- 
trates may be fed' in the rations and the cost of 
production thus decreased. 

Pea or corn cannery refuse is often put up in 
large silage stacks near canning factories or in 
ordinary silos. It makes a valuable feed for fat- 
tening cattle, sheep or dairy cows, and compares 
favorably with corn silage ; by some feeders it is 
considered superior to corn silage, especially for 
dairy cows. It is also fed to horses, mules and 
hogs to a limited extent. Like other kinds of 
silage, it should be fed with dry hay or corn stalks 
and, for best results, with some grain feed, and 
not as the exclusive feed for the stock, as is 
sometimes done. 

Green oats, volunteer grain, and other cereal 
fodders are occasionally siloed when grown for 
forage or in case thev can not be used for 



W. E. Sharp, Empire, Calif.. Is Glad He 
Has This 12 x 30 Brooks Slave Silo. 




BROOKS PATENT CONCRETE STAVE SILO 



grain. They are cut when the kernels are past the milk stage and filled 
into the silo after having been run through a cutter. If the grain has 
become nearly ripe, it is necessary to add considerable water to the 
green fodder as it goes into the silo either through the blower or in the 
silo after each load, and the cut mass must be carefully distributed and 
tramped down along the wall of the silo. Oat, barley or wheat silage 
made in this manner is of excellent quality and furnishes a very palat- 
able, nutritious feed for cattle and sheep. 

Beet tops and leaves are generally siloed in European beet-growing 
countries by being placed in large trenches in the field and covering 
these with boards or straw and a layer of dirt. Preserved in this way, 
they make a slimy, strong-smelling silage, which is, however, greatly 
relished by milch cows and fed heavily on the dairy farms on the Con- 
tinent. Because of the shallowness of the pits, very large losses of 
feed materials are sustained by this method of siloing, viz. 25 to 33 per 
cent or more of the dry matter in the leaves and tops. 

Beet pulp is preserved in similar trenches or shallow pits in west- 
ern States where the manufacture of beet sugar is an important indus- 
try. The siloed ("cured") beet pulp is an excellent feed for fattening 
steers, sheep or dairy cows. As it is made mostly in regions where 
alfalfa is the main hay crop, it is, as a rule, fed with chopped alfalfa 
hay, which it supplements nicely, being high in insoluble carbohydrates 
and relatively low in protein. Its feeding value may be considered 
equal to about one-half that of corn silage. 

Of other materials that are occasionally made into silage may be 
mentioned: Soy beans and cow peas (alone or with Indian corn), 
vetches, apple pomace, wet brewers' grains, sorghum bagasse, sugar 




*ao*e -T, T wan t T HtT>NK 






Every Owner of a Brooks Patent Concrete Slave Silo Is a Booster. Mr. Bishop Is a Typical Booster-Owner. 



BROOKS PATENT CONCRETE STAVE SILO 



cane tops, potato tops, hop vines, sugar beet tops and shocked corn, rye 
grass and clover, alfalfa and Hungarian grass, thistles and other weed-. 
None of these crops are, however, of sufficient importance to call for 
more than mere mention. 

General Remarks on Making Silage 

In order to make good silage the crop must have a water content 
between 60 and 80 per cent ; about 70 per cent gives the best quality 
of silage. With a water content toward the upper limit given, the 
silage will be very high in acidity, while if much below 70 per cent 
of water is present there is great danger of spoiled silage, and white or 
other molds appearing in the silo. Silage from such dry feed is, more- 
over, not as palatable as that containing a normal percentage of water. 
A limited amount of water added at the time of filling the silo will aid 
in making silage of good quality from a crop that has been allowed to 
dry considerably before cutting. 

Indian corn is preferably cut for the silo by means of a corn binder, 
at the time of approaching maturity, when the kernels are beginning to 
harden. Legumes are cut at the beginning of bloom, and the cereals 
when the kernels are in the milky stage ; in case of barley rather before 
than after this stage. Sweet sorghum and grain sorghums are cut 
when the seeds are hard and fully matured. This is of special import- 
ance in the case of sweet sorghum, which will make a very acid silage 
when cut at an earlier stage of development. 

It is advisable to shred or cut the feed fine, in case of Indian corn 
and sorghum into half -inch pieces, and for cereals and other fine-stem 
forage into one-inch pieces. 

During the filling of the silo one or two men must be kept in the 
silo distributing the cut mass and tramping it down carefully, espe- 
cially along the wall. A cement tamper may be used to advantage in 
this work, which is of the greatest importance in securing good silage 
and minimum losses of feed materials in the siloing process. If need 
be, water can be added in the silo when filled, by means of a garden 
sprinkler, and the mass may be left to ferment and settle. Most farm- 
ers fil] up the silo a second time after a few days to a week, as it will 
have -ettled four to six feet by this time in the case of tall silos that 
have been filled rapidly. 

The silage will ordinarily be ready for feeding in two to three weeks 
after filling. In opening the silo the top six to twelve-inch layer of 
spoiled silage is removed, below which a good quality of silage will be 
reached. The silage will improve in quality as the silo is being emptied 
until the last foot or two is reached, which will be likely to be rather 
acid if the siloed mass contained considerable water or a good deal of 
water was added and the silo is not provided with a drain. If used for 
feeding, this sour silage should be fed to stock in only verv small 
quantities. 



10 



BROOKS PATENT CONCRETE STAVE SILO 



The silage is kept level in the silo all the time during- emptying so 
that as little silage as possible is exposed to the air and secondary 
fermentations thus avoided. A sufficient amount of silage should be 
removed daily to keep the silage from spoiling, viz : one to two inches, 
according to the air temperature. The silage must be fed out more 
rapidly in warm than in cool weather. It is, therefore, important that 
the diameter of the silo be no greater than that the stock on hand will 
be able to eat a layer of silage daily of the thickness suggested. 

Once sealed in the silo, the silage will keep indefinitely without 
material changes after the first few weeks. Instances are on record 
of silage a dozen years old or more having been found of excellent 
quality and eaten by stock with great relish. If a silo is not com- 
pletely emptied by next filling time, the new crop may be placed di- 
rectly on top of the old silage; if this is carefully leveled off immedi- 
ately before filling there will be no spoiled silage at the juncture of the 
two crops. 

In emptying the silo it is convenient and, in case of outside silos 
almost necessary, to provide a chute or conveyor through which the 
silage may be thrown directly into the feed truck or the wagon. The 
silage should be placed before the stock in one or two handlings and 
should not be allowed to dry out appreciably before being eaten by the 
animals, as it will otherwise lose some of its palatability. In the case 
of weedy alfalfa silage and barley silage the foxtail and barley heads, 




J. M. Benoit, Modesto 



a Wonderful Herd of Cattle, and His 12 x 35 Brooks Stave Silo 
Is Equally Good. 



BROOKS PATENT CONCRETE STAVE SILO 



11 



respectively, will soon dry out, if left exposed, at least in hot weather, 
and will be likely to injure the mouths of the animals, especially if 
siloed at a rather advanced stas;e of maturity. 



Feeding Silage 

Silage makes an excellent feed for dairy cows, fattening cattle and 
sheep, and is also fed to advantage in small quantities to other classes 
of farm animals. The following amounts of well-preserved Indian corn 
silage may be fed safely to the different classes of live stock, somewhat 
smaller amounts of other kinds of silage being given, viz : 

Dairy cows, twenty-five to forty pounds per head daily. 

Heifers and young beef stock, ten to twenty pounds. 

battening steers and beef cows, twenty to thirty pounds. 

Horses, five to ten pounds. 

Wintering work horses, ten to twenty pounds. 

Sheep, two to three pounds. 

Brood sows, two to three pounds. 

In feeding silage to horses and mules it is important to pick out 
lumps of moldy or decayed silage, as fatal results may follow the 
feeding of such silage. Other stock appear less sensitive to moldy feed 
than horses are, but such silage can not be 
fed safely in any case and should be thrown 
,away. Alfalfa silage has been found to 
make a good feed for sows, fed as sug- 
gested, a couple of pounds per head daily. 

Silage should never be fed as the sole 
rough feed to any class of farm animals, but 
always with dry roughage, like alfalfa, wild 
or grain hay, corn stalks, sorghum hay or 
cereal straw. In the case of dairy cows, 
growing or fattening animals, an allowance 
of grain feeds with silage and hay will pro- 
duce good results, the amount to be given 
depending on the quality of the roughage, 
the production of the animals, and the rela- 
tive prices of hay and grain. It may be 
stated, as a general rule, that when grain 
•is worth more than twice the price of a good 
grade of hay it will only pay to feed it spar- 
ingly, except in the case of heavy-producing 
dairy cows, which can not be maintained at 
a maximum production unless they receive a 
liberal amount of grain, say a pound for 
every five to seven pounds of milk, accord- 
ing to the quality of the hay fed and of the 
milk produced. 




Thos. F. Griffin, 
of This 



7> Mighty Proud 
lave Silo. 



12 



BROOKS PATENT CONCRETE STAVE SILO 



Silage Rations for Farm Animals 

The following rations are given as examples of combinations of dif- 
ferent feeds with silage and dry roughage, with the amounts in each case 
that may be fed to the various classes of farm animals under the condi- 
tions present in California and Oregon: 
Dairy corns: 

( 1 ) Indian corn silage, 35 lbs. 

Alfalfa hay, ad lib. (about 8 lbs.). 

Concentrates ( rolled barley, oats, dried beet pulp, wheat bran or shorts, 
linseed meal, cottonseed meal, cocoanut meal, etc., two or three mixed, 
according to current market prices), 5 to 8 lbs. per head daily. 

(2) Alfalfa silage, 25 lbs. 

Wild hay or grain hay, ad lib. (about 10 lbs.). 
Concentrates (same as before mentioned). 

(3) Kafir or milo silage, 30 lbs. 
Alfalfa hay ad lib. (about 10 lbs.). 
Concentrates (as before). 



fattening steers: 

( 1 ) Alfalfa silage, 20 lbs. 

Grain hay, 10 lbs. 

Rolled barley, 8 lbs. 
(2) Indian corn silage, 25 lbs. 

Alfalfa hay, 10 lbs. 

Rolled barley, 6 lbs. 

Cocoanut meal, 2 lbs. 
Wintering cattle: 

Corn or sorghum silage, 20 lbs. 

Alfalfa hay, 5 lbs. 

Oat straw, 10 lbs. 
Work horses: 

Silage, 5 to 10 lbs. 

Hay, 10 lbs. 



; 

I 

L_ ' i . 




Oats and barley (1:1 by weight), 
or barley, wheat bran and 
cocoanut meal (3:3:1), 10 lbs. 
Fattening sheep: 

Silage, 2 lbs. per head daily. 

Hay, 1 lb. 

Oats and barley, 1 lb. each, or 1 to 
\ l / 2 lbs. of other grain feeds. 
Breeding ewes: 

Indian corn or sorghum silage, 
3 to 4 lbs. 

Alfalfa hay, 1 lb. 

If alfalfa silage is available, grain 
hay or wild hay may be sub- 
stituted for alfalfa hay. 



What is the Best 
Silo? 

A great deal has been 
written and many booklets 
printed dealing with the 
relative merits of silos 
made from different kinds 
of materials. Manyafarrner 
has been bewildered on ac- 
count of the conflicting ar- 
guments presented when 
trying to decide what kind 
of a silo to buy. In many 
cases this is the reason why 
a silo has not been built. 
Every farmer is familiar 
with the use of concrete 
and he knows when it is 
properly made it is a mate- 
rial that is everlasting. 
Thousands of concrete stave 
silos are used by farmers 
in all parts of the United 



¥i 



This Is a View of the Brooks Patent Silo Door Frame. Showing How Aft 
Almost Continuous Doorway Is Provided. This Is a Valuable Feature. 



BROOKS PATEXT COXCRETE STAVE SILO 



13 



State.-. They are beginning to be extensively used in Canada. The old argu- 
ments about freezing- and acid destroying - concrete have been disproven 
by actual experience. The experiments conducted by the leading agri- 
cultural colleges of the United States prove that acid and freezing are 
not detrimental to concrete silos. The first attempts in using concrete 
for building silos was in the form of what is known as solid concrete 
silos. The great expense involved in securing material in the various 
localities, the cost of the forms required to build them and the length of 
time required for the construction work, made the total cost of the 
solid concrete silo almost prohibitive except in favored localities where 
there was easy access to sand and pebbles. Moreover, few localities 
have the proper gravel for manufacturing concrete. To make good 
concrete clean sand and pebbles are necessary. 

Brooks Patent Concrete Stave Silo should not be confused with the 
solid concrete silo. The latter sometimes cracks because no provision 
is made for contraction and expansion. You will recall that in concrete 
sidewalk- and in the new concrete roads of the State Highway joints 
are made to allow for contraction and expansion — and the I '.rooks Pat- 
ent Silo is constructed on precisely the same principle. 

The Brooks Patent Concrete Stave Silos 

Simplifying the building and lowering the cost of concrete silos 
has been the desire of those who know the value to the farmer of con- 
crete stave silos. Various forms of piece construction in concrete have 
been invented and patented. The Brooks patent concrete stave silo is 
the latest improvement that has been offered to 
farmers. The Brooks patent concrete stave is 30 
inches long, 10 inches wide and 2 l / 2 inches thick. 
It is made of concrete mixed in the proportion 
of one part Portland cement and three parts 
clean sand, well graded. They are made in a mod- 
ern factory by experienced workmen. The manu- 
facture of the Brooks patent concrete stave is con- 
fined entirely to a completely equipped plant in 
order that the quality of the product can be guar- 
anteed. 

The disadvantages in making staves or other 
forms of piece construction, other than in a mod- 
ern equipped plant, is the lack of facilities for 
properly hardening the cement. This is why the 
staves used in the Brooks Concrete Silo are not 
excelled. 

Concrete Staves Are 
Curved 

The Brooks Patent Concrete Stave is curved 
according to the diameter of the silo in which 



WBBBBBBBBBBJIMBMU 




This 12x40 Brooks Stare Si 
Farm of F. Olarrea, Mode 



14 



BROOKS PATENT CONCRETE STAVE SILO 



it is to be used. The staves are joined together by tongue and groove. 
As each stave is cast in a steel mould, uniform, accurate joints are 
insured. The tongue and groove method of joining staves insures a 
more rigid wall construction than any other form of joint when the 
hoops surrounding the staves are tightened. The reason for this is 
that the square shoulders formed on each side of the tongue give per- 
fect bearing surfaces for the square shoulders formed on each side of 
the groove of the adjoining stave. 

Near the ends of the staves there is a slight offset or increase in 
the width on both the tongued and grooved sides for that part of the 
staves covered by the hoops. This projection can be detected by run- 
ning your fingers along the edges of the stave near the ends. This 
projection eliminates all hoop strain on that part of the staves not cov- 
ered by the hoops and prevents the cracking of the staves when the 
hoops are tightened. This has been the defect common with stave con- 
struction heretofore. 

Hoops 

Wide, flat bands, made of mild steel, are used for hoops. Lugs of 
refined steel, especially designed, are welded or riveted to the ends of 
the hoops for fastening around the silo. The lugs are bolted together 
with ^-inch bolts. These hoops can be furnished either galvanized or 
plain, dipped in asphalt. 




Foundation for the 
Silo 

A substantial foundation of concrete is neces- 
sary and the size will depend upon local condi- 
tions. 



Inside Finish of Silo 

As before explained, the inside of a silo should 
be as smooth as possible, to permit the silage to 
settle evenly. 

The Brooks Patent Concrete Stave Silos are 
finished on the inside with a cement waterproof- 
ing mixture which makes a permanent finish. 
This treatment makes a smooth wall which is 
both air-tight and water-titrht. 



Umpire, 
: 40 Brooks 



Slave Silo. 



BROOKS PAT EXT CONCRETE STAVE SILO 



15 



Wall Construction 

In beginning' the construction of the silo, every other stave in the 
first course is two inches shorter than the adjoining stave, thereby 
breaking joints horizontally. When the next course is added, it will 
be noted that each stave interlocks with two adjacent staves. This in- 
sures a very rigid construction because the steel bands completely cover 
the joints and when tightened give full support to the meeting ends of 
all the staves. 

After the silo has been erected and the hoops properly tightened, the 
inside surface is worked over with a cement wash containing waterproof 
chemicals. This smoothens and hardens the interior surface of the staves 
and fill- all joints, thereby making the wall air-tight and waterproof. 

Roof and Chute 

Metal roofs and chutes can be furnished. We recommend that 
metal be used. The chief fault of the wooden devices is the danger of 
destruction by fire, which might ruin the silage. 



Size of Silo 

The size of the 
silo to be built must 
be determined by the 
number of animals to 
which silage will be 
fed, and the length of 
the feeding season. 
As there is danger of 
silage spoiling if the 
silo is emptied too 
slowly, it is necessary 
to remove a layer of 
about two inches daily 
from the entire sur- 
face of silage during 
the summer months. 
and from one to one 
and one-half inches 
in cold weather. 
About five square feet 
of such a layer will 
furnish sufficient si- 
lage for a cow or a 
steer per day, hence 
the diameter of silos 
to be built should be 
approximately as fol- 




Twin Brooks Slave Silos on the Dairy Farm of Lanners 6" Dixon, Bay City, Wis. 



16 



BROOKS PATENT CONCRETE STAVE SILO 



lows, if silage is to be fed during a period of six months: For a herd 
of sixteen cows, ten feet ; twenty-four cows, about twelve feet ; thirty 
cows, fourteen feet ; forty cows, sixteen feet ; fifty cows, eighteen feet ; 
sixty cows, twenty feet ; one hundred cows, twenty-five feet. 

The following table shows the capacities of cylindrical silos of a 
diameter from ten to twenty feet and a height of twenty to forty feet: 

Capacities of Brooks Patent Concrete Stave 

Silos 





Approxi- 




No. acres 




Approxi- 




No. acres 




mate 


Number 


of corn 




mate 


Numl >er 


of corn 


Size 


Capacity 


of 


11-12 ton 


Size 


Capacity 


of 


11-12 ton 




Tons 


Cows 


per acre 




Tons 


Cows 


per acre 


10x20 


30 


8 


2.5 


16x30 


120 


34 


10.0 


10x22^ 


34 


9 


2.7 


16x32^ 


146 


3S 


11.0 


10x25 


38 


10 


3.0 


16x35 


158 


43 


13.0 


10x273^2 


42 


12 


3.5 


16x373^ 


170 


49 


14.0 


10x30 


48 


13 


4.0 


16x40 


185 


53 


15.0 


10X32 1 ■> 


55 


14 


4.3 


16x423^ 


200 


56 


17.0 


10x35 


60 


16 


4.7 


16x45 


215 


60 


18.0 


10x40 


75 


20 


5.0 


16x473^ 


230 


64 


19.0 










16x50 


245 


7ti 


20.0 




45 


10 


3.0 




12 x 20 










12x22^ 


53 


12 


3.5 


18x30 


150 


43 


13.0 


12x25 


58 


14 


4.3 


18x32^ 


170 


49 


14.0 


12x273^ 


71 


17 


5.0 


18x35 


187 


53 


16.0 


12x30 


75 


19 


5.7 


18x373^ 


200 


57 


17.0 


12x32^ 


80 


21 


6.3 


18x40 


228 


65 


19.0 


12x35 


99 


24 


7.0 


18x423^ 


248 


71 


21.0 


12x373^ 


110 


26 


8.0 


18 x 45 


273 


78 


23.0 


12x40 


121 


29 


9.0 


18x47^ 


295 


84 


25.0 










18x50 

18x55 


320 

375 


91 

107 


27.0 


14x25 


78 


21 


6.3 


31.0 


14x27,^ 


88 
100 


25 

28 


7.3 
8.0 


18x60 


435 


124 


36.0 


14 x 30 










14x323^ 


113 


32 


9.0 


20x35 


225 


64 


19.0 


14x35 


125 


35 


10.0 


20x40 


275 


78 


23.0 


14x371^ 


139 


38 


11.0 


20 x 45 


340 


97 


28.0 


14x40 


150 


41 


12.0 


20 x 50 


400 


114 


33.0 


14x423^ 


163 


45 


13.0 


20 x 55 


470 


134 


39.0 


14x45 


182 


49 


14.0 


20x60 


550 


157 


46.0 



Based on 180 Days' Feeding. 

On account of the difficulty of handling the silage from very wide 
silos it is not to be recommended to build silos of larger diameter than 
twenty feet; it is also difficult to feed out the silage rapidly enough 
from very wide silos to prevent considerable losses through decay of 
the surface layer, except in cases of very large herds. 

The figures for the capacities of silos given refer to Indian corn cut 
when nearly mature. Somewhat larger quantities can be put in of 
immature corn or of sweet sorghum, and less of dry corn, alfalfa, grain 
sorghums and similar crops that do not pack well. If cut when nearly 
ripe the grain sorghums will occupy at least one-third more space than 
Indian corn cut at the usual time, and the capacity of a silo for these 



BROOKS PATENT CONCRETE STAVE SILO 



17 



crops would then be decreased in this ratio from the figures given in 
the table. 



Diameter 


Approximate Mini- 
mum Pounds to be 
Fed Daily. 


Number of Animals to be Fed from Each Sizk of S 


Feet. 


Horses. 


500-lb. 
Calves. 


Stock 

Cattle. 


Beef 
Cattle. 


Dairy 
Cows. 


Sheep. 


10 
12 
14 
16 
18 
20 


525 
755 
1030 
1340 
1700 
2100 


48 

69 

94 

122 

155 

191 


44 

63 

86 

112 

142 

175 


26 

38 
52 
67 
85 
105 


21 
30 
41 
54 
68 
84 


13 
19 

26 
34 
42 
53 


175 
252 
344 
446 
567 
700 



The following table gives the number of cows in herd and tonnage 
of silage for both one hundred and eighty and two hundred and forty 
days of feeding of forty pounds of silage per cow, also acreage of corn 
estimated to fill the , silo and the dimensions of the silo itself. The 
diameters given are such that at least two inches in depth of silage will 
be taken off daily. 

An acre of land gives about one ton of silage for every five bu>hels 
of corn. If any acre yields eighty bushels, it will produce about sixteen 
tons of silage. This table is based on a yield of fifty bushels or ten tons 
of silage per acre. 



Number of Cows 
in Herd. 



10 
12 
15 
20 
25 
3d 
35 
40 
45 
50 
60 
7d 





"eed for 


180 Days. 


O M . 

■CM E 

Its 


Size of Silo. 


g « < 
h-o 2 


5 


bo 


Tons. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


Acres. 


36 


10 


25 


3i \ 


43 


10 


28 


4i, 


54 


11 


29 


51, 


72 


12 


32 


7 


90 


13 


33 


9 


108 


14 


34 


11 


126 


15 


34 


13 


144 


16 


35 


141, 


162 


16 


37 


16i, 


180 


17 


37 


18 


216 


18 


39 


22 


252 


19 


40 


25i ■ 



Feed for 240 Days. 



t_i ra*a 
c ~ o 

III 
to ra 

w c 



Tons. 

48 

57 

72 

96 

123 

144 

168 

192 

216 

240 

288 

336 



Size of Silo. 



Feet. 

10 
10 

11 

12 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
20 



Feet. 

31 

35 
36 
36 
37 
37 
38 
39 
39 
39 
40 
46 



5 

6 

7i, 
10 

12! . 
141" 
17 " 

19! ; 

22 " 
24 
29 
34 



18 



BROOKS PATENT CONCRETE STAVE SILO 



A silo should be planned for a larger capacity than is needed for 
the present herd. Experience in feeding silage has proven that the 
fanner always finds it so profitable he immediately plans to increase 
his herd. In this case the Brooks Concrete Stave Silo can be enlarged 
by adding to the height. 

Many times a farmer desires to double his herd after he has learned 
of the saving to be had in feeding silage. It is, therefore, well to con- 
sider the possible requirements for the future in locating the first silo 
in order that the second silo can be convenientlv added later. 



Acid in Silage 



The supposed effect of silage acid on concrete has been one of the 
most widely discussed and at the same time the most absurd of the many 
common silo fallacies. Silage acid is one of the weakest acids known 
to science. It does not miraculously preserve wood nor destroy con- 
crete. Silage juices will not eat away concrete nor injure it, which is 
proven by the fact that after years of service the concrete foundations 
of hundreds of silos built of other material still show, today, the trowel 
marks which were made at the time constructed. 

Where it has been 
claimed acid affected 
concrete, investigation 
has proven that the con- 
crete was made of dirty 
materials and a lean mix- 
ture. Concrete of such 
construction is highly 
absorbent. Where con- 
crete is properly made, 
it is not affected by frost 
nor the acids in silage. 

The Silo 

of Concrete 

Staves 

The silo built of 
Brooks patent concrete 
staves is the ideal silo. 
It fulfills all the require- 
ments. As stated on an- 
other page, the inside 
wall surface is covered 
with a cement water- 
proofing mixture which 
effectually renders it 
smooth, jointless, air- 
tight and water-tight. 




.4 14x30. Equipped With a Wood Chute. Owned by A. Kerkamp, 
Hazel Park, Mitm. 



BROOKS PATENT CONCRETE STAVE SILO 



19 



The chief advantage of a Brooks patent concrete stave silo is its 
smooth, air-tight, water-tight, and non-absorbent walls. Probably next 
in importance is its safety from fire. This danger is perhaps the most 
serious one with which a farmer has to contend. When his buildings 
are once burning, there is little he can do other than to save the stock 
from destruction. If the silo and silage are destroyed, he must at once 
buy high-priced hay and grain for feeding. 

Another point in favor of the silo of Brooks patent concrete staves is its 
resistance to windstorms. There is no other type of silo that is its equal in 
this respect. The weight of the concrete silo, even when empty, makes it so 
stable that no case is known where a concrete silo has been blown down 
by windstorms, even of the most severe nature. 

The fact that concrete excludes vermin is an added advantage to this 
kind of silo. Rats gnaw through the walls of wooden silos and build 
nests in the silage. The air thus allowed to enter causes moldy silage 
for a considerable distance around the opening. 

The absence of maintenance costs and deterioration is one of the 
attractive points of the Brooks patent concrete stave silo. There is no 
rotting and replacing of staves, no alternate swelling and shrinking of 
wood, causing cracks to open, no hoops to need tightening. 



Building Silo is 
Good Business Management 

In farming, as in any other business, ade- 
quate investment of capital is needed from 
time to time to keep the business modern and 
equipped with labor saving and profit sharing 
devices. The high cost of producing beef, 
milk, butter and cheese makes it necessary to 
lower the cost of production, to make possible 
greater profits. No construction on the farm 
is of greater importance to the farmer from 
the standpoint of profit than the silo. It makes 
it possible to keep two cows on the same acre- 
age that kept one under the old management. 
A silo with the proper farm management and 
attention to feeding should be able to do this 
for every farmer. 

In this booklet an effort has been made to 
give all the necessary information concerning 
silos in general. It has been shown that the 
Brooks Patent Concrete Stave Silo fulfills 
every requirement. You may have some pecul- 
iar silage problem not mentioned in this book- 




Note the Continuous Doorway. This 16x30 Brooks 

Silo Is on the Farm of H. T. Crow, 

Modesto, Calif. 



20 



BROOKS PATENT CONCRETE STAVE SILO 



let, and if such is the case you are urged to write at once asking for any 
information you desire — use the coupon on the last page if you wish. 
Be assured that you incur no obligation whatever in asking for further 
details. All that is asked is that you investigate the merits of the 
Brooks Patent Concrete Stave Silo before you buy. What could be 
more fair? 



You may think that you can not afford 
a silo. The fact is you can not afford to 
be without one. Your banker will be 
glad to help you finance one and you can 
obtain reasonable terms in the purchase 
of a Brooks Patent Concrete Stave Silo. 




This Brtooks Silo, at Osseo, Minn., Is on the Farm Owned by Clif- 
ford W ill is, Editor oj Northwest Farmstead. 



FILL IN THIS COUPON AND DROP IT IN THE MAIL. 


Mr 


. John S. Coply, 
Agent for Brooks Patent Concrete Stave 
Modest' i, ( lalif. 


Silo, 








De 


ar Sir : — 












I need a silo large enough for the following Stock 


: — 






Cows (dairy) 












Steers 












Sheep 












Swine 












1 lorses 












I operate acres at 












T have , . . • , -i 












1 i . , „ ■ had experience with silos. 
na\ e not ' 












Please advise what the approximate cost 


wi mid 


>c. 


1 inn 


er- 


stand that this inquiry does not obligate me 


in any 


w« 


ly wl 


at- 


ever. 












Name 












Address 












Illustration of a Brooks Slave Silo Which Has Just Been Started. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



Buy a Brooks Patent 
Concrete Stave Silo 

Because— 

It is permanent. 

It does not rot. 

It does not burn. 

It does not blow down. 

It does not shrink, swell or warp. 

It does not require tightening or loosening 
of hoops. 

It does not require a variety of cables, braces 
and anchors to keep it standing. 

It does not require painting, repairing and 
rebuilding. 

It is air-tight, water-tight and sanitary. 

It is rat-proof, germ-proof and wear-proof. 

It has curved staves so the walls are per- 
fectly smooth and circular, both inside 
and out. 

It has tongued and grooved staves, insuring 
a perfect joint and greater strength than 
other forms of joints. 

It has wide hoops which give full support 
to the staves. 

It has a continuous doorway. 

It is equipped with the best and most con- 
venient door-hanger. 

It has all the merits of a wood silo and none 
of its disadvantages. 

The first cost is the only cost. 




